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Washington County, Ohio severe weather history spans 507 recorded events between 1971 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #849 nationally and #24 in Ohio.
507
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$19.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Ohio severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 168 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 483 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Ohio record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $11.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 | 0 | $5.9M | 78 | 1974–2026 |
| Flood | 167 | 1 | $486K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Hail | 105 | 0 | $57K | 3.5 | 1980–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 34 | 1 | $11.7M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $1.4M | F2 | 1971–2021 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $189K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2000–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2024 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-09-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2024 | Flood | GRANDVIEW | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $10.0M |
| Jul 28, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 23, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | MARIETTA | 0 | 3 | $45K |
| Jun 13, 2001 | Lightning | WATERTOWN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Ohio River gauge at Willow Island Lock rose above its flood stage on the morning of April 3rd, then reached a crest of around 41.3 feet the morning of the 5th. The river then receded below flood stage the next morning. With the river spilling out of its banks, water inundated Ohio Route 7 in the Reno area. Ohio State Route 7, Township Road 443, and Township Road 19 at Newell Run and Lenards Landing flooded.||During the time the river was out of its banks, a 42 year old man perished after attempting to drive through the floodwaters on State Route 7 just north of Archer Fork Road.
Scattered locations throughout the county had trees or large branches blown down. Nine of the 10 power substations in the county were in the dark. Nearly 25,000 customers lost electricity. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $975,000.
Numerous large trees were blown down by strong wind gusts. The wind was associated with a bow echo configuration to the thunderstorms. Wind gusts of around 70 mph likely occurred. Several homes and businesses were hit by fallen trees. Residents described the aftermath in the hardest hit portions of downtown Marietta as looking like a war zone.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
58,978
Population (ACS)
$186K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 8, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Macksburg 229
- Bloomfield 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Ohio?
507 events are on record between 1971 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $19.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 181 recorded events — 35.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington County, Ohio severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Warren County 675
- Wayne County 485
- Vinton County 251
- Williams County 196
- Van Wert County 354
- Wood County 512
Cite this page
“Washington County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.